Fallin' For You
by unashamed-shipper
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia has just been set up with the perfect guy... so why does this annoying hipster keep trying to worm his way into her life?
1. Chapter 1

"Mira, I've told you a million times, and I'll tell you again. I will never go out with that guy!" Lucy told her companion over the phone. She was riding the bus to the mall to get some new jeans, and her friend Mira, whom everyone had dubbed "matchmaker", had called her to apparently bug her about a guy that she wanted to set Lucy up with. She picked a piece of lint off of her strapless blue summer dress. Mira was always one to set up people on dates, and most of the time, they worked.

In one circumstance, Lucy's best friend Levy had been set up by Mira with an intimidating guy named Gajeel, and nearly three years after their first date, they were engaged and were looking into buying a house when they were married. While Levy was petite and a bookworm, Gajeel was very tall and could care less about reading. Levy was the sweetest person on the planet, and Gajeel could be so blunt that it bordered on the line of rudeness at times. Despite being complete opposites, they worked wonderfully together and he became a huge teddy bear when around her. Lucy was to be their maid of honor in the spring, and she could not be more excited about it. Lucy realized that she had been zoning out while Mira was talking and had to focus on the conversation once more.

"Why won't you go out with him, Lucy? He's a techie and works for one of the biggest companies in the world. He's smart, kind, makes a lot of money, and he's probably good with his hands because he types all day… If you know what I mean," Lucy could hear the smirk in Mira's voice. Of course Mira would bring up sex while trying to set up her friend. She always did, and for some reason that had always worked to get the girl or guy to go out with their match. But not Lucy. She wanted a relationship before sex. Not that she didn't want to have sex at all, but she was demisexual and valued knowing a person emotionally over knowing a person sexually. She had to get to know someone before she got into a sexual relationship with someone, and most guys had just thought that if they used a bunch of cheesy pickup lines on her then she would bed them.

Lucy had turned down countless men and had gotten irritated with friends trying to set her up. One guy had great hair, but not a great heart. Another had lots of money, but there was no chemistry. The third had loved her, but she felt no feelings back. The fourth? Please. He had tried to get into her pants the second she said hello and shook his hand, staring at her cleavage instead of peering into her eyes.

She was done. Absolutely done. She hated the fact that almost all the men she had dated or been set up with were pigs. And she was happy being single. She was 24 years old and still had a long life ahead of her. She bought designer clothes and went out to dinner with friends at places that needed reservations three months ahead of time. She had cocktails with famous journalists who were just dying to get to know her. Yes, Lucy truly was living the good life. And why stop if you're having a great time?

"Please, Lucy? Just trust me, girlie. I've got this all figured out. You and this guy will fall in love and then you'll start enjoying life again. Don't you feel empty without love? Don't you want to, you know, settle down and have a family one day?" Lucy thought about this proposition. Yes, she wanted to settle down, but not now. She just wanted someone she could have a great connection with and love. There was no reason to get married now. She was content being single.

"No, Mira, I totally get what you're saying. But I kind of just want to live my own life for a while. Learn to be me, and learn who I am as a person. Is there anything wrong with that?" Lucy asked, knowing she had Mira stumped.

Mira was silent for a moment, and then replied with a coaxing tone, "Lucy, all I'm asking you is for one date. Give the guy a chance. I haven't been the one setting you up on dates. This guy has substance. He's 26 and hasn't had a girlfriend in years. He is caring. He knows how to cook. Please, Lucy?" Lucy pondered Mira's words. This guy didn't sound too bad. But if he hadn't had a girlfriend in a long time, didn't that mean that he had lost his touch? What if he was awkward? Lucy sighed and remembered that she hadn't actually had a boyfriend in a long time, and they could be awkward together if it all worked out. 'That sounds sweet,' she thought to herself. She hoped she wouldn't regret this later…

"Okay, Mira, you've got one date from me. Now, what's this guy's name and phone number so I can–" Lucy started, but she was cut off by a metallic screech and was launched forwards off her feet.

She squealed loudly, trying to catch her balance. She was sure she was about to hit the floor of the bus. She braced herself for the impact, squeezing her eyes shut.

Lucy was caught by strong arms and held there. She opened her eyes and saw the whole bus was staring at her. Children were giggling, parents were whispering, and older people were smiling. 'What the hell is going on?' She wondered. And then she looked up.

A strong-looking man with pink hair held her upright. His hair was messy and wild-looking, and he had an undercut, which was something Lucy had always secretly thought was hot. His thick, black Ray-Ban glasses were on the bridge of his nose, and his onyx eyes peeked over the top of them, staring at her. He was wearing a beanie over most of his hair, and he was clothed in dark cuffed jeans, a long sleeved emerald v-neck which clung to his body like a second skin, and he wore a very small wooden gauge in his ear. He wore a very surprised expression on her face.

Needless to say, this guy was hot. She could barely hold in her blush as she looked up and down his body, checking him out. He was definitely her type.

As he watched her check him out, a half-smile grew on his handsome face. He opened his mouth and told her loudly, "I think you just fell for me," and he grinned openly with sharp white teeth shown.

The whole bus stared, and Lucy's eyes widened as the people started clapping and cheering for them. He pulled her to her feet and grinned at her again, leaning against the bus seat. The bus started up again and the people continued to stare at Lucy and the mysterious hot guy.

"What was that for?" Lucy demanded of the handsome man, and everyone laughed.

"Well, I thought you could use some saving. After all, you are beautiful enough to be a damsel in distress," he chuckled, biting his lower lip. Lucy had to focus directly on his eyes to not stare at his plump lower lip as he bit it with his sharp canines. Canines that could bite her neck and leave marks as they made–

She stopped the thought in its tracks.

"Excuse me, Mister Hipster! I am not a damsel in distress. I could save myself if I wanted to, and I don't need cocky guys like you pretending to be the hero just so you can get into a girl's pants. Leave me alone," Lucy snarled the words.

"I– I'm sorry," the guy started, but Lucy cut him off with a glare.

They rode the bus for a few minutes in silence, not looking at each other. People went back to talking to their friends, but she heard snippets of conversation about them.

When her stop finally came, she told the bus driver thank you, and strutted off the vehicle, her heels tapping and hips swaying in time with the song stuck in her head, "Boss Michelle Obama, purse so heavy gettin' Oprah dollars," and she knew his eyes were on her.

She didn't need that fuck boy anyway. She had a date with a guy that was sure to be fantastic, and she had to grab an outfit that was sure to be sexy but classy. She never revealed everything she had on the first date…

She started on her way to Heart Kreuz, her favorite shop that carried fantastic first date clothing. She started putting together outfits in her head, grabbing her headphones and plugging them into her phone to actually listen to "BO$$".

She heard the bus slowly start up again above her music, but a voice yelled, "Wait!" and it screeched to a stop once more. Hot Hipster (she would call him H.H for short) ran off the bus and caught up with her. She whipped around and glared at him.

"I-I am really sorry about that," he said rubbing the back of his neck and blushing lightly. 'He looks even cuter when he blushes,' she thought, but she was still mad.

"What the hell are you doing? You can't just follow a girl like this! Get away from me!" Lucy said, and she booked it away from him. Unfortunately for her, H.H was fast and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him.

"I can follow a girl like this. You're feisty, and I like you! You seem cool," he said, grinning. He shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched backwards, which added to the hotness factor.

"Gosh, you can't take a hint, can you?" Lucy replied, appalled. "I. Am Not. Interested. In. Fuck Boys!" She said, jabbing him in the chest with her pointer finger with each word she spat.

"I'm not. And what I did was a joke. I only want to get to know you as a friend. You seem nice. And what I do know about you is that when you feel threatened, you retaliate. And I am not going to hurt you, I promise. I want to get to know you because you're interesting. Not because you're beautiful. Well, you are, but that's not the point. The point is that–" H.H told her, but Lucy guffawed with laughter, bending over at the knees to laugh.

"You want to get to know me? As a friend? Ha!" Tears were forming in her eyes. This guy was ridiculous.

"Let me prove it to you. Whatever you want to do today, I'll come with you and talk to you like I would a good friend. Just give me a chance!"

"You're kidding, right?" she replied, still laughing.

He shook his head, deadly serious. Lucy knew he was actually going to do this when she saw the stoic look in his eyes. She straightened up and smoothed her dress.

"Well, then, you've got yourself a deal!" she stuck out her hand to shake, and he wrapped his huge hand around her small one.

"What's your name?" He asked her, walking towards Heart Kreuz once she told him where she was going.

"Lucy Heartfilia. What is yours?"

"Natsu Dragneel. Nice to meet ya, Luce!" He said, grinning.

They headed off to Heart together in search of the perfect outfit for this date and getting to know each other along the way, a beautiful friendship blossoming on the way.


	2. Chapter 2

"What about this one?" Lucy asked, holding up a long blue dress with thick straps. Rhinestones adorned the neck and straps, and she had been searching for twenty minutes to find it. Natsu made a face and shook his head. Lucy looked at it again and scrunched up her nose. 'I guess it does look more like a prom dress than a date dress,' she thought.

She and Natsu had been in Heart for about 2 hours now, and he had been surprisingly good at helping her find whatever she needed. However he kept recommending shorter dresses than what she was used to, and he seemed to really like cleavage too. "You're not the one I'm going out with!" she had told him, scowling at his pick of a strapless black dress that barely covered her thighs.

"What, I'm a leg man. I can't help it!" Natsu shrugged, smirking at her flushed face.

"Well, he might not be. And Mira said that the guy is a professional at one of the biggest companies in the world. So I better find something dressy," she told him, her face still a bit red because of his comment. She didn't care what kind of man he was. She just wanted help, and he told her he would be her friend.

They searched for a while, both mulling over their own racks of clothing.

"Luce? This one might be a good idea," Natsu said, holding up a lavender cocktail number that wasn't too short-but it wasn't too long either. A v-neck and thick straps solidified that it was perfect. She wanted to be classy but also have sex appeal. After all, Lucy kind of had to step it up to impress this guy! In his other hand, he held a pair of black open-toed heels. Thankfully the heels weren't too high. She didn't know how short or tall this guy was, so she had to make a safe bet that he'd be just a bit taller than her.

"Natsu, that's perfect! Let me go try it on!" Lucy excitedly grabbed the items from his hands and thanked him. She rushed into the fitting room and changed, coming out when she was ready.

Her hair flowed in soft waves around her shoulders and her eyes looked brighter. The dress clung to her every curve and fit her like a glove. Natsu stared for a bit, a hard expression on his face.

"You look pretty," Natsu told her. Hopefully she wouldn't look too far into the compliment. Her ego was already big enough...

Natsu did think she was attractive, of course, but he had promised to be a good friend to her and nothing else. And besides, he didn't even know her that well.

Lucy's cheeks burned, but she offered a confident 'thanks!' and skipped over to the mirrors to see herself in them.

"Wow! I knew I looked good, but I didn't know I could look this good!" Lucy giggled, striking a pose. "I have jewelry at home that would be perfect with this. Natsu, you're a lifesaver." The dress fit perfectly and hugged Lucy's curves and concealed the parts she had a distaste for. She slipped on the shoes and walked around in them for a while, testing them out. Natsu viewed her ass as she walked. Her dress hugged it in just the right way that everything looked so streamlined. If only he could reach out and grab it, squeezing them so he could make her squeal. And then they'd leave here, go to Lucy's place, and he'd see what she looked like without it...

Natsu shook the thoughts from his head. This wasn't the time to be thinking about these things. And if he got a boner in front of her things would get awkward real fast. When she stared up at him to get a reaction, he beamed at her.

"Well, that's what I'm here for, Lucy. And if the guy doesn't like you, you know who to call to beat him up." Natsu grinned his signature smile, which made Lucy's heart flutter a bit. His smile was very ruggedly handsome, and his look only added to his attractiveness. 'Calm down, Lu,' she thought to herself, "He's a friend. And he's told you that he'll just be a friend to you throughout this whole day. So just treat him like you would a friend.'

The only problem was that all the friends she had were girls other than Gajeel, Levy's fiancé and Gray, Juvia's boyfriend. She didn't really know them that well; Juvia would go ballistic if any girl even talked to her beloved Gray-sama, and Gajeel was intimidating to everyone but Levy and his cat Pantherlily. Everyone else kept their distance.

Lucy turned to look at Natsu. He didn't seem intimidating like Gajeel or icy like Gray, and that was one of the things she liked about him. He was brutally honest but also kind. She knew that she could trust him with information even with only knowing him for a few hours. And hopefully they could be great friends during their lives.

"Honey," a feminine voice said behind them, "you look so good in that dress. I can tell your boyfriend thinks so too. And ya know, we just knocked down the price by forty percent. Good for the budget and the body, right?" The woman snapped her gum and laughed through her nose. Lucy and Natsu looked at the sales girl, blushing. A plastic name badge read "Stephanie," and the girl had the most irritating voice Lucy had ever had the displeasure of letting through her ears. It was nasal with a fraction of a valley girl accent. She also seemed to care about her appearance a bit too much. The contouring on her face was just a little too perfect, and her hair was arranged just right. Lucy had a slight aversion to the girl when the two had walked into the store, but now that the girl had practically told her that Natsu was her boyfriend, she disliked her even more.

"He's not my boyfriend," Lucy bit out, gritting her teeth and crossing her arms over her chest. Unfortunately for her, the motion made her generous chest pop our more than usual, and Natsu eyed the mounds with dilated eyes.

"Sure, Hun. You just keep telling yourself that," the salesgirl said, snorting and strutting off in her booty shorts. Lucy glared at her. Who said that those shorts were the dress code? Her ass was practically popping out of her shorts. She guessed that's how Stephanie got more male customers to the store to buy clothes for their girlfriends. 'Or possibly just for Stephanie herself', Lucy thought as she saw an average-looking male trying to flirt with the irritating salesgirl. Lucy turned around into the fitting room. She changed back into the dress and sandals she was wearing earlier and grabbed the dress and shoes to buy.

She all but stomped up to the register to buy the items, and Stephanie looked somewhat irked when Lucy pushed the young man whom she was flirting with aside. Stephanie had been coaxing the young man to buy her one of the most expensive dresses in the store for her, and in return, she would go over to his place and do anything he wanted. Natsu had sensitive ears and told Lucy just what the salesgirl was proposing to the man.

Stephanie told Lucy the amount once she rung the items out, and even though it was outrageous, Lucy paid it anyway. She wanted to get out of the store as quickly as possible. Stephanie bagged the items up quickly and told the pair to have a nice day in the most superficial way possible. Lucy scowled at the woman before taking her leave. Natsu held open the door for her and watched her butt again. 'Still great,' he thought, satisfied.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Would you like to go out to eat with me? I know a nice place that's only a few blocks from here." Lucy told him, putting a hand on his arm and smiling.

She looked so cute that he just couldn't resist. And he knew she thought he was attractive too. After all, he was Natsu Dragneel, one of the most successful people at his company. Girls swooned over him all the time. So why was it so hard to resist this girl? It was possible that she had somewhat of an aversion to him that most girls didn't. She didn't bat her eyelashes at him. She sometimes straight up ignored him. That only made him want her more. And to finally spend time with her was something that he couldn't turn down.

"Sounds good to me! Can I get whatever I want?" Natsu asked, eyes gleaming.

"Whatever you want, Natsu," Lucy replied. This guy couldn't possibly eat a lot.

Lucy realized that he COULD eat a lot. The guy had shocked the server when he ordered three two pound hamburgers, a plate of pasta as big as his head, two salads, and three desserts all for himself. And that was just the first course. By the time they had gotten out of the cafe, Lucy had spent more money than she did on the dress and heels for her date. She felt a bit irked, but she knew that he had helped her for two hours and that he deserved to do something he loved for a change, even if that thing was eating.

"What would you like to do, Luce?" Natsu asked.

Lucy let her mind wander. 'Let's see... We could go back to my apartment and play some video games, and then we could playfully start messing around with each other and then somehow he'll end up kissing me and then it might turn into something more physical. I wonder what he would look like if he was just wearing his boxers...'

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled, waving his hand in her face.

"What?" She gasped.

"W-why is there blood coming out of your nose? Are ya imagining your date in a suit or something?" Natsu asked, visibly concerned.

"N-no, Natsu, just thinking about something. Let's go back to my apartment and smash."

Streams of blood came out of Natsu's nose and he fell to the concrete ground outside the cafe, hitting his head and rubbing it with a moan.

'What did I say?' Lucy thought. Then she realized what she was implying. When the stream of blood finally stopped, Natsu stood up and massaged his throbbing head. She smacked him on the chest and yelled, "I MEANT PLAY SUPER SMASH BROTHERS, YOU IDIOT! Ugh, let's just go." Lucy grimaced and grabbed his hand to pull him along.

They took the bus back to her apartment, talking the way there. When they reached her apartment, they started to play Smash Brothers. Lucy chose Kirby as her character and Natsu chose Cloud.

"I'm totally gonna beat you, Lucy!" He said, laughing while he fired an attack at her character. Kirby was hanging on for its life, but Lucy had an advantage: the smash ball was just within reach.

"Bring it on!" she said, giggling as she hit the ball and put him in her killing stew.

"Noooooo!" Natsu cried as his character's percentage went up until it killed him- his last life was gone. The announcer yelled the end of the game and proclaimed Lucy the winner.

Lucy giggled and pushed him over. "Get on my level, bitch!" She yelled, watching him as he groaned in agony. She looked at the time. It was pretty late, and she had to work in the morning.

"Thanks for a great day, Natsu. Let me get your number and we can hang out sometime. I've gotta go to sleep; I have to work in the morning." Lucy told him, pulling him up so he could stand. They exchanged phone numbers and Natsu left, grabbing his jacket and grabbing the next bus. She learned that he had taken the bus that afternoon because his car was in the shop, but it would be finished tomorrow.

After he left, she giggled and got ready for bed. 'Natsu is a fantastic friend,' she thought, pulling her pajamas on. 'I hope can get to know him better.'

As she went to bed she hoped that maybe, just maybe, Natsu would be her not-so-blind date on Tuesday night.


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy woke up to the buzzing of her phone. Groggily, she picked it up and managed to answer.

"Hello?" She rubbed her temples and looked at the clock. It was 7 in the morning. What the hell?

"Hey, Luce. I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to Antonio's for dinner tomorrow night. You beat me at smash, so I want to do something with you that you can't beat me at," Natsu told her confidently.

"Sure, that sounds great," Lucy grinned, and they chatted for a few more minutes and then hung up. Immediately after she called Levy.

Her friend picked up within two rings. "Hello?"

"Levy! I have an outing with a guy tomorrow. I'm guessing he has reservations at a restaurant. Wanna come over tomorrow night and help me pick out an outfit?"

"Of course! You did the same for me when I was dating Gajeel. But wait, don't you have a date with a different guy on Tuesday?"

"He just asked me as friends, Levy. It's not a big deal. I do have that date on Tuesday, and I'm excited about that too. But who knows? The guy that I could be set up with could be a complete weirdo," Lucy scrunched up her nose. The last guy she had been set up with on a date by a friend was a guy that played the bagpipes and decided that he wanted to play her a song in the middle of the restaurant. That was a story better left untold.

"Mira wouldn't do that to you! Besides, you've known each other since you were kids and Mira has always been good at finding everyone else their matches, myself included. But I don't know… it is pretty early," Levy hesitated, but Lucy could hear her excitement in her voice. Levy had always liked shopping, especially if they could go to the bookstore.

"I promise I'll buy you one of those coffee things you really like if you come with me."

"You do know how to bribe a gal, don't you, Luce? Fine, I'll come over. We'll have to go to the Village to find you a proper outfit. Something that is really cute but also has a tiny bit of sex appeal to it."

"Levy, you're crazy. I already radiate sex appeal. See you in a few," Lucy hung up, heading to the bathroom.

She took a shower and dried her hair carefully and grabbed a romper from her dresser. This one was a maroon color with small flower print. She paired it with sandals and clipped her bangs up a feather barrette.

Levy's yellow VW bug honked outside, and Lucy grabbed her bag and phone and headed out the door. As soon as Levy saw Lucy, she waved and got out of the car to hug her best friend.

"It's so nice to see you! I feel like we haven't seen each other in forever, especially with all of the wedding planning I've been doing," Levy said, embracing Lucy. Levy was known for giving really amazing hugs, so Lucy reveled in the moment.

"Yeah, well, I've been busy too. Journalism stops for no woman," Lucy pulled away and winked at her companion. They chatted for a few more minutes about possible wedding colors Levy and Gajeel were thinking about, and then they decided to get going.

Lucy slid on her sunglasses and rolled down the window. She loved the wind blowing through her hair, and she wasn't about to turn that down on a beautiful summer day like this one. Levy turned on some music and the girls both sang along to Fifth Harmony's confident lyrics and talked over the blasting music about what Lucy should wear on the outing with Natsu.

"Victoria's Secret has their semi-annual sale going on, you know. We could get you something to wear after the date," Levy told her friend, winking.

Lucy rolled her eyes and scowled lightly. "Levy, it's not a date. It's an outing with a friend, I already told you. And I'm not going to have sex with him after the date. He's just a friend, no matter how attractive he is."

"Ooh, so you think he's attractive, huh? I have got to meet this boy," Levy said, giggling and turning into the Village's parking lot.

"You're engaged, Lev," Lucy smirked at her friend. She knew Levy was extremely attracted to her fiancé, and there was no denying that he was smitten with her too. Whenever Levy walked away to go talk to someone else, Gajeel's eyes were always focused on Levy's butt. Lucy once asked the man why he was looking at her ass, but he just looked away and said, "I dunno what yer talking about," with a small blush on his face.

"So? That doesn't mean I don't have eyes." Levy winked as they pulled into a parking space and got out of her car. As they walked, they playfully argued a bit more about lingerie, dresses, and cute boys. As they entered a store, Levy asked Lucy what Natsu was like, and she thought a moment before replying.

"Well, he's kind of arrogant. And he thinks he's badass, but he's not. But he's also extremely sweet, and I think he likes me. I have seen how he looks at me, and other people have thought that we're boyfriend and girlfriend. I mean, I'm attracted to him. But I'm not sure what he thinks about me. It's so irritating not knowing what the guy is thinking!"

"Well, it does sound like he likes you. But you've just gotta give him time. It might take him a while for him to fall in love with you. Gajeel took years, and I thought he was never going to ask me out. But now we're engaged and getting married next September. Don't give up hope, Lu!" Levy grinned sweetly and gave her friend a thumbs up.

"Thanks, Levy. That does help a bit. Now, let's make me look hot. Not that I'm not already," Lucy said, flipping her hair over her shoulder and picking out a dress. "This one's cute," she said, picking up a long navy dress with a high neckline.

"Sure, if you're going to the prom," Levy joked, hitting her friend on the arm, "We need something that screams classy but sex appeal."

"What about this?" Lucy picked out a different dress, and then another when Levy nixed that idea.

Dress after dress, Levy nixed the ideas of many different tones. Most of them were because they would clash with Lucy's blonde hair or would wash her out. They had only been there for about two and a half hours and Lucy was already getting frustrated. With every failed dress, she threaded her fingers thru her hair and pulled lightly, hoping that the next time she would find a dress, but to no avail. Every time she showed Levy a new dress, her friend would stare at it with a glassy-eyed look like she had looked at every dress in the shop.

After about four hours, they were exhausted and ready for coffee. Lucy bought Levy her mocha with hazelnut as promised, and Lucy got herself a white chocolate mocha with raspberry for an extra kick. They sat down and went over different options that would flatter Lucy's figure a little more, and with high hopes, they went on with their journey to find Lucy a classy but sexy little number.

They perused a few more stores and finally settled on Emillie's Boutique that thankfully had much nicer salesgirls than Heart Kreuz. One of them helped Levy and Lucy find a great dress for the outing. Lucy put it on with matching shoes and jewelry, and when she sauntered out of the dressing room with her confident demeanor, Levy and the salesgirl clapped when Lucy struck a pose with her hand on her hip and the other hand behind her head.

"I may be classy as hell, but I'm sexy too," Lucy stated as she struck the pose. The dress added to her confidence level like no other dress had before. She felt like she could take on the world -or hopefully a cute boy.

The dress was a dark maroon and was quite simple except for the backless cut with a large bow in the back. It also had a deep neckline like Lucy preferred, but still left enough to the imagination so that Natsu would still be wondering what she looked like underneath the dress.

'But it's not like he's going to see anything I don't want him to see,' Lucy simpered in her own head after Levy teased her that she better wear a cute set of a bra and panties.

She completed the look with black peep-toe heels and an ornate silver necklace that would rest just below her collarbone. Her makeup was to be darker than usual, and she would curl her hair in beachy waves.

Lucy and Levy ate lunch at the food court and went back to Lucy's place, watching movies for the rest of the night and talking about their boys. They knew that the next morning would mean chaos for hair, makeup, and Levy meeting Natsu for the first time.

The next morning, they awoke late and had breakfast so that they would be ready for the day. They lazed around in their pajamas, looking at magazines and such for flirting tips, despite Lucy's demanding that she didn't need them. They spent the rest of the day pigging out and watching romantic comedies that were too cheesy for their own good, and when the time finally came at five for Lucy to get ready, she shaved and Levy did her makeup just as the Pinterest pin had shown. Lucy curled her own hair and then brushed it out so it would be wavy, and she slipped on her shoes just as the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" She rushed up to the door and opened it with a grin.

Natsu's face was one of astonishment when she stood there before him. He looked so amazed that a woman could look that beautiful, and she was surprised that he could clean up well himself. Instead of wearing his regular attire of a v-neck and khakis, he wore a black suit and red tie with polka dots on it. He wore black pants and black dress shoes.

"Hey," she said, leaning up against the doorframe.

"Hey yourself. You look very nice," he said, scratching the back of his head. What the hell was he supposed to say when a woman looked so gorgeous right in front of him? Her smile was genuine, which was the thing he liked the most. And he liked the fact that her dress hugged every curve that she had, and when she turned around to hug Levy -who was shorter than her, so that didn't help his blush at all when she bent down to hug her friend -he had to turn away to not look at her glorious butt.

Levy grinned and stuck out a hand at Natsu. "So you're the guy that makes my best friend here crazy," she said, smirking.

"I dunno about that, but I think she likes me okay," he said, reaching out to shake the tiny girl's hand. His hand dwarfed hers, and he immediately took a liking to the girl that had so much spunk in less than five feet of height.

"Levy is my name. You'll have to answer to me if you hurt my best friend. I may be small but I can whoop some ass, and so can my fiance," Levy warned, releasing her hand from the handshake and putting her pointer finger right up to his nose.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be sure to take note of that. I promise I won't lay a finger on Lucy," he promised.

"He seems alright to me," Levy turned to her best friend and shrugged.

"Eh, I dunno, Lev. He's kinda weird," Lucy smirked at Natsu, watching his face heat up as he tried to defend himself.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I am a very loveable guy, Miss Heartfilia."

"Alright, I guess he's okay. Take care, Lev. I'll clean up when I get home. And say 'hey' to Gajeel for me. And make sure to show him the lingerie I bought you," Lucy winked at her friend before closing the door. She could hear Levy's cry of, "Lu-chan!" just before the door shut.

"You ready to go eat?" Natsu asked, rubbing his belly.

"I am, definitely. I dunno if I could eat as much as you, though," she giggled as she got into his sleek black truck. She listened as he talked about the car and how he had found it in a dump and decided that he could fix it with just a few parts and not much labor. With the change of a battery, a fixed engine, and a new muffler, the truck was as good as new.

As they drove to the restaurant, they held a polite conversation about what Levy and Lucy had done that day together. Natsu had to hold back telling her that he had stressed the entire day before getting his suit on and that his friend Gray, who was also Juvia's boyfriend, had to come over just to calm him down. He knew that it was just an outing, but it seemed like more than that since they were dressed up so fancily.

As they got out of the truck, Natsu went around the truck and offered his hand for her to hold as she stepped down. Lucy giggled a bit; his hands were warm to the touch and rough like he had been working hard his whole life.

When they were seated at Antonio's, the waiter came over and offered them wine. Natsu decided on an aged white wine that was straight from Italy. As they sipped, Lucy took a look around the establishment. The tables had candles that were lit and each table had a small hanging light over it so they could look at the beautiful colors of the food. The food itself was the most eccentric thing about this place beside the obvious pictures of naked baby angels on the wall. They had an orchid and lavender pasta that Lucy was dying to try, and she was sure that was one of the things that Natsu would order as well.

Lucy continued looking around until her eyes settled on a familiar face. She hoped that she would never see that face again, but there he was. He was seated across from another girl, clinking his glass of champagne against hers and grinning. An icy chill worked its way up her stomach and hit her ribs, curling around her back and up her spine. The temperature in the room felt as if it had dropped a few degrees, and the goosebumps forming on her arms and legs were not going away anytime soon. The familiar feeling of hurt shocked her, something that she hoped she would never feel again. When the handsome dark-haired man turned his head and looked at her, she turned to Natsu.

"Get under the table with me," she spat through gritted teeth.

"Wow, Luce, I didn't know you were that kinky," Natsu teased her, smirking.

"Just go!" She dove under the table, and then within a few seconds Natsu was also stooping underneath it.

"What's wrong?" Natsu questioned, eyes wide.

'His eyes are a very pretty onyx color,' Lucy noted, looking at his face full of concern for his friend. Were they just friends? Or were they something more?

Lucy shook her head and then replied, "The man at the table that was staring at me was my ex. His name is Micheal, and he's a real piece of work," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. (This should be all one paragraph because Lucy is still talking) "I was young and naive when he took advantage of me. We didn't have sex, but he kept pressuring me to. When I told him for the final time that I wouldn't put out, he called me a vapid bitch and told all of his friends that I had been the worst lay he had ever experienced. No one asked me out for years," Lucy told him, eyes welling up with tears.

"Aw, Luce. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Do you want me to kick the guy's ass for you?" Natsu put his fist into his open hand, grinning.

His smile and the sentiment tugged at Lucy's heartstrings, but she decided not to think about that for the moment. "Thanks, Natsu, but I'm sure I'll be alright. He's on a date with a girl anyway. He wouldn't be stupid enough to just leave a beautiful girl like that."

"Ahem," a voice above them coughed, and they realized that someone was standing in front of the table. They slid back into their seats, telling their apologies.

"Don't worry, I know what it's like to be young," the waiter comforted them.

'Oh, shit,' Lucy thought, 'Now the guy thinks we're a couple. That's two people now.'

"What can I interest you in this evening?" The waiter chuckled, bringing out an iPad and pressing a button. The restaurant was fancy, but also had the latest technology so none of the orders bore errors.

Lucy ordered the lavender orchid fettuccine while Natsu also ordered the same…plus ten more things. The waiter's eyes widened as he tapped away, thankful that Natsu had come that day. Their establishment was going to make a lot of money tonight!

The waiter murmured his thank you's and scurried away to another table to take their orders. Natsu and Lucy sipped their wine, tasting the flavors and chatting until their food came. Lucy dug in, savoring the notes of the food. She knew that it would be a while until she ate a delicacy such as this again.

As she was digging in, she saw a shadow cast itself onto the table. She looked up with her mouth full, thinking it was the waiter.

"Hello, Bella Lucy! It is I, Micheal Lucius Angelo! You look beautiful as always," A baritone voice called her. Natsu looked up.

The guy she was talking about earlier seemed to be even more handsome up close. He had close-cut curly dark brown hair and brown eyes, and he was quite fit. Natsu could see how Lucy could go for the guy until the guy's eyes went right to Lucy's boobs -and stayed there as she talked to him.

"And this is my friend Natsu," she said, introducing him. Was he supposed to feel pride or sadness for that title? They weren't together, so friend seemed like a proper term to use. But at the same time, he felt like he should sink to the level of friend-zoned and stay there. Was this what she thought of him?

Natsu peered at the man, and Micheal stole a glance at Natsu's face and then his vision went straight back to Lucy's boobs. Anger flared in Natsu's chest, and he felt as if he should protect her. Natsu could now see how the guy was a complete asswipe. He only cared about what girls could give to him instead of caring what he could do for them.

'How the hell did this dick not fall to his knees and ask for mercy after what he did to her?' Natsu wondered, watching them as they talked and Micheal stared, 'If I was able to be with Lucy for even a second as her boyfriend I would treat her like the queen she is.'

"How are you doing, Micheal?" Lucy asked, her voice turning hard. She was now noticing how much the jerk was staring at her boobs.

"Ah, Lucy, I am doing just fine. My date, Julianne, and I are having a splendid time!" he reassured her.

"Really? Because I am sure that she would love it if I told her you couldn't stop staring at your ex's tits the whole night," Lucy seethed, stabbing a noodle and some orchid and swallowing it whole.

"I-I guess not," the man looked up at Lucy's face and held her gaze for a few seconds. Natsu hated the fact that the guy was looking at Lucy like that. It was like they were in love. His stomach boiled even more, and he felt an urge to just punch the man into next week.

"Lucy, I have a question for you," Micheal questioned of her, looking into her eyes.

"Yes?" She answered, her voice still hard as it was before. She took a sip of her wine, listening to the man.

"Would you like to join my date and I in a menage a trois?" Micheal smirked at her, rubbing his hands together.

And that was the final straw.

Natsu snatched Micheal up with a fist and wound up. Within seconds, the man was on the floor with blood everywhere. Natsu had broken his nose. Micheal straightened up and held his nose, blood gushing everywhere.

"Sir?" The waiter was at Natsu's side immediately, "We're going to have to ask you to leave."

"I just want everyone, especially Julianne, to know how much of an asshat this guy is. He comes over and interrupts our outing, and stares at my good friend Lucy's breasts the whole time, and then invites her to a threesome," Natsu peered around the restaurant, catching every pair of eyes watching the scene.

You could hear a pin drop in the establishment. Everyone was silent except Julianne, who burst out in tears and slapped Micheal in the face and left. Micheal ran after his love, but not before flipping Natsu the bird.

"I'm so sorry that had to happen. I will pay for the carpet to be cleaned and for the damage that may have happened today," Natsu continued, and handle the waiter several bills, "Here is an extra tip for you, too. Thank you for serving us tonight."

Natsu tucked his wallet back into his jacket and reached out a hand to Lucy.

"We shall go elsewhere, princess," he told her eloquently.

"Yes, we shall," Lucy giggled, and they walked out to the parking lot to his truck.

Unfortunately for them, it was pouring rain, and by the time they made it out to the truck, they were both soaked. The both of them climbed into the truck and Natsu put his key in the ignition but did not start it.

"Natsu?" Lucy said, putting a hand on his arm.

"Lucy, if anyone else treats you like that, please tell me and I will come over there and kick their asses. You deserve to be treated like the queen you are," he told her, looking into her eyes.

It was then that Lucy realized Natsu looked really good with wet hair. His looks were even more rugged when there was water dripping down his face, and his clothes hung onto him tightly.

Lucy blushed and told him thank you. Natsu turned the ignition and backed out of the parking lot, and as they drove they laughed a bit about how crazy the night had been.

"I can't believe that asshole! You used to date him?" Natsu told her over the music and blasting heat. They had to dry off somehow, and Natsu had no fireplace. After all, fireplaces in apartments were pretty unheard of…

"I know, right? I can't believe he actually asked me to do that!" Lucy laughed, and Natsu joined along with her.

Natsu looked over at her when she laughed, watching her beautiful face light up. He liked that her eyes scrunched up when she really enjoyed something. It was one of the cutest things about her on the outside.

Natsu flushed slightly and turned towards the road. He couldn't let her know that he had feelings for her. After all, she had a date with a guy that would be perfect for her. And her friend Mira, who was known as the matchmaker even to people that didn't know her, was perfect at setting up people that were single. Maybe she could ask Mira to set him up sometime...

When they turned into Natsu's apartment complex, he parked in his space and they ran into the small place and sat on the couch. Natsu went into the bedroom and changed into normal clothes and gave Lucy some spare clothes to wear.

When she went to change in the bathroom, he turned on Netflix and started up a cheesy movie. She emerged and sat on the couch and covered herself in a blanket, looking adorable in one of Natsu's shirts and her jeans. He made some popcorn and they sat there, watching the movies and laughing together.

In the middle of the second movie, Natsu looked over and saw that Lucy was fast asleep. He smiled and covered her more with the blanket to make sure that she wouldn't get cold. He brushed her hair out of her face and leaned down hesitantly.

'I dunno if I should do this,' he thought to himself.

He summoned every ounce of courage he had, and told himself to 'just do it, dammit!'

His lips slowly moved towards her cheek, and bit by bit he became more anxious. Slowly but surely he got close enough to breathe on her cheek.

'It's now or never, Natsu,' he told himself, and then he pressed his lips chastely to her cheek and leaped back in fear that she would wake up.

Lucy mumbled intelligibly in her sleep and pulled the blanket over her shoulders some more.

"Sleep well, Luce," he stammered and then headed into his room to get some sleep.

As he laid there on his bed, his arms behind his head, he thought of Lucy. How beautiful she was and how confident she was in herself. And he loved those things about her. She was so gorgeous when she told herself she looked great, and he loved that she liked herself before even trying to find a boyfriend. Her smile was so gracious, and she was kind but a bit sassy.

Maybe tomorrow he would tell her he liked her more than a friend.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy buried her face further into the couch, her pleasant dream bringing a soft smile to her face.

Wait. Why was she on the couch? Shouldn't she be in bed?

Her eyes snapped open, and she ripped the blanket off of her body. The blonde woman looked around, realizing that this place looked nothing like her apartment.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Natsu's voice rumbled behind her, and she yelped and fell onto the floor. He stuck out his hand for her to grab, and she accepted, letting him pull her to her feet. In his other hand he held a coffee drink.

"I didn't know what you wanted, so I got you a mocha-whippy-frappe-espresso thing," he tried to explain, handing it to the blonde. She took it and sipped at the drink. It was exactly what she liked. It was a mocha coffee blended drink with whipped cream on top. She smiled at him, managing her thanks with her still sleepy voice.

"I made breakfast. I hope you don't mind pancakes," he told her. He didn't want to sound like he had been up since five AM trying to figure out how the hell to even make pancakes. He wanted to sound casual. Nonchalant. His eyes flicked from her eyes down to her figure.

'Damn, does she ever look good in one of my shirts. I hope she gets a chance to wear one of them again. I'd hate to see a body that pretty go to waste,' he thought, barely holding in another nosebleed. How was it that around her the blood pressure in his body was all kinds of messed up?

Natsu turned back into what Lucy was saying, tearing his eyes away from her body. He was thankful that he had only looked for a moment, otherwise the blonde would have clobbered him.

"As long as they're warm. Cold pancakes are terrible," she warned, taking a drink of her coffee.

Natsu thought of a dirty joke but kept it inside of his head. The woman probably wouldn't want to know what the other term for pancakes was. He shook his head, striding over to the cabinets to produce some plates. He set one in front of Lucy and one at his spot, and set the leaning tower of pancakes in the middle.

"Dig in," he told her, and he proceeded to do just that. Most of the pancakes were devoured before Lucy could finish her three, and the woman had to pry two pieces of bacon out of his hands so she could have some. Thankfully Natsu wasn't much one for orange juice, so Lucy had glass after glass until she was somewhat full.

"Is it okay if I use your Wifi?" she asked, pointing to her phone, "I want to find out how to get home."

"Sure, Luce. Go ahead," he chuckled, giving her the password. He thought it was funny that she wanted to figure out the way home when he had a perfectly good phone in his pocket as well.

Lucy sat down on the couch again and tapped away at her phone to get to the internet. She clicked on a link to get to a different maps site than she usually used, and to her horror, the screen lit up with bright colors.

'You just won a new 2016 BMW! Click here to claim your new car now!' The screen flashed, and there was no exit out of the screen. She grunted in frustration and threw her phone down on the couch.

"What's wrong, Luce? Your phone acting up?" He questioned, his voice filled with concern.

"My phone has been spamming me like this for a while, and it's been bothering me for ages but I don't want to go to the store to get it fixed," she whined, clutching the pillow by her side and letting out a long sigh into it.

"Let me see that," he said, sitting down next to her and leaning over her to get her phone. His back muscles stretched out, very toned and tight. Natsu's shirt lifted up off his back slightly, and his abs were visible as he reached. Lucy had to think about the grossest food she knew on the planet—sardines—to stop a blush from coming on.

And just like that, he was right back up in the sitting position and the awkwardness was over. Natsu tapped at a few buttons and turned Lucy's phone off again and back on again, and the message was gone. He tested the internet to see if it would pop up again, and it did not rear its ugly head again. He held it in his hand, pushing it toward her.

"Done," he grinned, staring her in the eyes. Lucy peered up to look into his onyx eyes, and she could see the hint of a blush on his face. He looked away, staring at something else in the room, but the smile on his face was unmistakable.

"Thanks," she squeaked, and her fingers brushed his when she picked it up. The softness of his fingers surprised her, and she dropped his phone and kept holding onto his hand. Natsu's eyes snapped to Lucy's hand holding his, and the blush grew farther over his cheeks. His face was quickly as pink as his hair, and he stared at her once more.

Shock spread through him. This beautiful woman was technically holding his hand! It was exhilarating. He hadn't felt anything like this before, and he'd had a few girlfriends in his life. Not that Lucy was his girlfriend…

They dropped their hands into their laps, blushing feverously and looking away. Natsu told Lucy she would drive her home, and she thanked him. Lucy gathered up her things, and then they started the trek back to Lucy's apartment.

The entire ride back, they were silent. No words were exchanged, and the awkwardness was palpable. Natsu finally turned on some music and drowned out the feeling in the truck. When Natsu turned onto Lucy's street, she thanked him for the ride and got out. He waved his goodbyes with a forced smile and drove off.

Lucy took out her key and unlocked her door, walking into her apartment. She hadn't slept very well last night, so a nap would be lovely. She had just slumped down on her bed when her phone rang.

'Catch fire, catch catch fire," her phone blared the popular song by Jenix. She listened to it for a few minutes, listening to the tune that made her feel powerful.

Lucy saw Mira's snapchat selfie displayed across the screen and she picked it up immediately.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Lucy! Are you busy? I don't want to interrupt you, dear!" Mira's sweet voice brought a smile to Lucy's face. Mira was always so considerate of people, and that was one of the things people liked about her.

"No, I'm not busy. What's up?" Lucy asked, tying her hair into a ponytail with her other hand. She had gotten pretty good at doing that when she had gotten bored in class one day and decided to see if she could tie her hair up with one hand. And over the years, her "skill" had been perfected. At least it was a neat party trick to show people.

"Would you like to join Cana and I for lunch? We were discussing the boy you're going out with tomorrow, and Cana told me to invite you for lunch so we could talk to you about it. We'll meet you at Jay's. Say around three? It's my treat," Mira said, giggling.

Lucy thought for a moment, and then told Mira she would be there. They talked for a few moments and then hung up. Thankfully it was only nine so Lucy could take a short nap and then be up and refreshed by the time their lunch date was scheduled.

Lucy fell back into bed, falling asleep quickly.

"So, what do you want to know about this guy?" Mira said, sipping on her root beer. Jay's was well known for its homemade root beer, and it was the best. Lucy sucked on her straw, biting it while she thought.

"All I know about him is that he has a nice ass," Cana smirked at Lucy and took a swig of her rum and coke. It was a little early for liquor, at least in Lucy's opinion, but that was just who Cana was.

The blonde's thoughts traveled to Natsu's butt and veered farther down into bliss after that. She shook her head, clearing it before asking a question.

"What does he like to do in his free time? I only want to know a little, though, otherwise I'll have nothing to talk to him about," Lucy propped her elbow onto the table and placed her head on her outstretched hand. Then she remembered her father's words from years ago, 'Lucy, you'll never look like a proper lady if you're stretched out like a monkey." With that, she put down her hand and picked up her drink, taking another long sip.

"Well, I do know he's a techie. He really enjoys taking computers apart and putting them back together, and he went to college for tech. And he's one of the handsomest men in Fiore. He won a prize in college for being the pretty boy of his floor," Mira giggled into her palm, her blue eyes crinkling and lighting up. Mira continued to tell her more information about the boy that would help her in her quest.

"Great. Thanks, Mira. Cana, you're the makeup expert. How do I do my makeup?" Lucy picked the ends of her hair, thinking of how she should do it. She was thinking an updo, but she would have to ask Evergreen.

"Okay, girl. Here's what you're gonna do. Your eyes are gonna be smokin' hot, and you're gonna contour the hell outta your cheekbones. For the lips, we are gonna keep it matte just in case. For smooches, ya know?" Cana winked at Lucy saucily, and in the same motion, the brunette leaned over and kissed Mira on the cheek. Lucy scrunched up her nose slightly but her expression changed when she saw the blush on Mira's face. Mira looked even more beautiful when she had a blush on her face—if it was even possible for her to look even more gorgeous.

Lucy looked away while Cana teased her white-haired friend about the blush on her face. Mira covered her face, but doing that made her face even redder.

"Anyway," the blonde coughed, taking the two women out of their playful flirting. Mira flushed deeper, and Cana slung an arm around the back of the booth while taking a swig of her drink.

"By the way, Lucy, when is Levy's wedding? We gotta all find dates to that!" Cana raised her drink in the air, cheering.

"It's in late October of next year. And if it works out with this guy, I may invite him. Of course, girls and guys are gonna be lining down the block to go with me," Lucy interjected, and Cana gave her a knowing look.

"I know I would go out with ya, Lu. You're got a helluva rack. And your ass isn't bad either," Cana snickered, pointing at Lucy's chest. Lucy flushed and covered her breasts, narrowing her eyes at her brunette friend.

They stayed for a little while longer, talking about the people that they grew up with. They were known as "the guild" because they were too big to be just a group but too small to be a mob. Laxus, the captain of the football team of the Magnolia Fairies, was now dating Freed, the guy who majored in creative writing and drama. The men were adorable together, and they were sure to adopt kids in a few years.

Bixlow, the interesting one of the guild, was touring in another country with his band, Soul Eater. Mest Gryder was saving up for a ring to propose to Lisanna Strauss, his longtime girlfriend. The two were utterly in love, and they had been dating ever since freshman year of high school. Evergreen and Elfman were engaged, and they were having a baby boy in the spring.

The rest of the guild was either still getting through school or was too young to start dating. Wendy Marvell and Chelia Blendy were such close friends that people thought something was brewing between them, but they were a bit too young for such things. Romeo played varsity softball in middle school, and his dad was at every game to watch his son—and watch the cute softball coach bend over to show the kids exactly how to hit the ball. Wakaba still smoked, but he and his wife had made up and were happy again. It seemed like everyone was growing up and moving along with their lives.

After finishing their lunch, Mira paid and walked Lucy out to her car. The blonde graciously thanked her two friends and gave them each a bear hug. As Lucy drove home, she called Juvia.

"This is Juvia," the girl answered after many rings. Juvia had a bad habit of losing her phone—and talking in the third person.

"Juvia? Gather up the girls of the guild. You have to make me look hot tomorrow," Lucy said, sliding on her sunglasses to shield the sun away from her eyes, "I'm going on a date with the devil. A very, very handsome devil."


	5. Chapter 5

FFY 5

"Lucy, these locks are atrocious. Have even washed your hair since I last saw you?" Evergreen sniffed, brushing her fingers through Lucy's dirty locks. Ever's other hand rested on her baby bump. Ever was due to pop in about a month, but with how big she had gotten it looked like it would only be a few days.

Lucy chose not to comment on her hair. Sure, she had stayed up all night to finish an assignment given by her boss, but Ever didn't need to be that mean. Still, Lucy knew she meant well. The woman just wanted her to look good for her date—and Lucy knew that hair was very important.

Without a word, Ever started stripping Lucy down and pushed her into the shower. Lucy felt somewhat violated—it wasn't every day that a pregnant woman stripped you down to your birthday suit and shoved you in the shower—but she started using the body wash that Ever had graciously provided anyway.

"Use that shampoo I got you. Thank God for me, otherwise you'd have no idea what to do with that hair. I also suggest you start dyeing it. The blonde is fading. You're not sixteen years old anymore, Lucy. You need to do more with your hair than just washing it and straightening it every day," Evergreen chided.

"Yes, mom," Lucy snickered, rinsing herself off and starting to apply the minty shampoo to her roots, massaging it all the way to her ends. After the shampoo was soaked in, she rinsed and applied conditioner and shaved.

Once she was finished, Ever called in the rest of the girls. Mira, Lisanna, Laki, Wendy, Kinana, Levy, Cana, Erza, Juvia, and Bisca filed into the room and began to chatter about Lucy's date.

"Leave it to us, Lucy! We'll make you look beautiful—not that you aren't already," Lisanna grinned, winking at her friend. Lucy smiled at the younger white-haired woman. Lisanna and Lucy hadn't been close until a couple of years ago, and Lucy had begun to love the woman for her charm and kindness. She was witty and sassy as well, which connected with Lucy's own smartassery.

"Thanks, Lisanna," Lucy replied to her friend, and then continued on to address the rest of the guild's women, telling them that she was thankful that they had given up their time and skills to help her look her best.

"And now, let's make me look like the sexy badass I am!" Lucy pumped her fist in the air, and the rest of the women cheered and did the same.

Within the blink of an eye, Cana was on her phone looking up ideas on Pinterest for her makeup. Evergreen was putting some product in Lucy's locks and starting to use the blow dryer on it so it would be fresh and smell delicious. Levy began to distract Lucy, striking up a conversation about her job and asked her about the assignment that had her working so hard a few nights ago. Juvia sat on the couch, texting Gray about something. Her face was red, and she was holding her phone close to her face as she typed furiously. Wendy looked over Lucy's next article on her desk, filing through the papers as she read. The paper on Apple's increase in sales in Magnolia interested Wendy, and she loved Apple's products.

On the other side of the room, Bisca decided to make snacks for the group, and after asking Lucy's permission, headed to the kitchen to make some cucumber sandwiches on rye. Laki and Kinana gasped over Lucy's outfit—the women both loved any shade of purple. The dress was a beautiful lavender hue, and the sweetheart neckline would show off a bit of cleavage which would add to the sexy yet classy look Lucy was going for. Erza blushed over Lucy's underwear selection and picked up a few pieces and held them up to herself to see if she would want to buy some. Embarrassed, Erza hastily folded up the lingerie and set out a set for Lucy to wear on her date, flushing the whole way there. Lisanna sifted through Lucy's jewelry to find accessories that would match Lucy's outfit for the night. She found an ornate necklace of pearls and diamonds that ended in a soft v that would land just in front of Lucy's cleavage. Satisfied, Lisanna placed it around the neck of the hanger and hooked the clasp.

"Got it! Lucy, you're gonna be smokin'," Cana exclaimed and began grabbing makeup out of her purse. Evergreen put Lucy's hair in a tight ponytail, handing the blonde an elastic hair wrap to hold up her bangs. Cana followed Lucy in the bathroom and instructed her of how to wash her face. Lucy rolled her eyes and insisted that she knew how to wash her face just fine, but turned on the faucet when she saw the look on Cana's face. Once her face was washed, Cana rubbed moisturizer and primer onto Lucy's face so her look would be prepped.

Cana continued on to apply the rest of the makeup to Lucy's face. A smoky eye complete with eyeliner and dark eyeshadow was pressed in first, and the foundation was applied second to last. The brunette let her friend take a break to eat the cucumber sandwiches with the rest of the guild and talk with the girls.

"Levy mentioned that you were becoming close friends with a guy that you met on the bus. Do tell," Kinana winked, reacting a blush from Lucy.

"He's just a friend, but I do admit that he is very attractive," Lucy admitted while biting a sandwich, and the rest of the women oohed and giggled.

The guild's women stayed silent as Lucy began to describe Natsu. "Well, we met on the bus, and he actually caught me when I fell. He fixed my phone when it was full of spam, and he hasn't told me about work yet but I know he works for Apple, so obviously he's a techie. He is really sweet, and when we met my ex-boyfriend at a restaurant unexpectedly, he decked Micheal in the face for asking me to do a threesome with he and his date,"

"Gray-sama would never ask Juvia that. Juvia is sorry that Micheal was so mean to Lucy," Juvia piped up, looking up from her phone and giving Lucy an apologetic smile.

"Thanks, Juvia. I can't believe that creep did that to me! I'm glad that Natsu protected me, though. He was also generous with the waiter. He gave the man a tip and paid for the blood on the floor," Lucy grimaced as she thought of the blood that was shed.

"Is he your date tonight, Lucy-san?" Wendy giggled, covering her hand with her mouth.

"Why would you think that, Wendy?" Lucy asked.

"Well, from what Mira said, it sounds like this guy is Natsu," Wendy grinned, happy for her friend.

'Oh, God. Of course, it was him,' Lucy thought. A slow smile crossed Lucy's face.

'It's been him the whole time. He's just like Mira described! He's kind, and he cares about me. He's generous. He works at Apple, and he enjoys working with computers. And Cana did say that he has a nice ass… and he does! It's him. It's always been him," Lucy sighed, feeling her emotions crash over her. Natsu was going to take her on a date to the nicest place in town, and she was so excited to spend that time with him.

Lucy got ready excitedly, bouncing up and down in her chair as Evergreen did her hair. Evergreen scolded the younger woman for messing up the braided updo and then continued to finish Lucy's hair. Cana sprayed makeup spray to Lucy's face and applied the finishing touch of the matte pink lipstick to Lucy's lips.

"You're all good to go, girlie. Go rock it," Cana winked at her friend, smirking.

"Thanks! I will!" Lucy smiled.

Her group of friends cheered her on as she got ready to answer the door. Lucy smoothed her hair with a hand, giggling. She asked her friends how she looked, and they all held up their thumbs as a sign of approval. The doorbell rang, and the women's cheers got louder.

Lucy strode towards the door, taking a deep breath and checking her lipstick on the back of her hand. She opened the door with a smile, expecting the pink haired man standing there.

Instead, she found someone completely different.

"Hey there, beautiful," the blonde man rumbled. His suit was completely black except for the lavender bowtie he wore. Lucy's eyes narrowed at the sight of the man. He was definitely not Natsu!

"Who the hell are you?" She spat at him, and the cheering went silent.

"The name's Sting, and I'm your date for tonight."


	6. Chapter 6

Natsu stopped his headlong rush to the Chinese restaurant he frequented. He rubbed his stomach and took a deep breath of heavenly food odors. It was expensive, yes, but it was the only place that could get the spicy orange chicken just right. No other restaurant in town used enough spices to actually satisfy his palate. Stomach rumbling; he sprinted to the pedestal where the waitress was standing, holding a bag of his favorite food.

He grinned at the waitress who by now knew to stand back as he snatched up his food and dashed over to an empty table. Most people ordering pick-up wanted to consume their food at home, but he never could wait. He ripped open the bag and one of the portions of spicy orange chicken, inhaling half of it before calming.

Natsu set the chicken down and hunted for the special pepper rice that was his second favorite food from the restaurant. While prying the lid off, he spotted an unmistakable yellow lock. Even in a sea of people dining, he'd recognize that idiot's hair.

Happy now that he'd taken the edge off his hunger, Natsu stood up. He stalked to the table his friend was sitting at. He wanted Sting to be unaware of his movements. Messing with each other like this was a long tradition that had started when they were children.

Closer, he noted the immaculate suit Sting wore, the polished shoes and spiffy tie. "Dude! You're on a date!" Natsu bent over the table and laughed. "Didn't think there was a woman stupid enough to put up with you!"

Sting jumped off his chair and whirled around to simultaneously hug and punch his friend. "Yeah, maybe she'll have an even stupider sister for you!"

They pounded each other's backs heartily, the violence in the action tempered with the merest amount of friendly love. Natsu dropped into the other vacant chair of the table and leaned forward. "Now really, you gotta tell me how you managed to get a date. I thought you were still licking your wounds after Minerva?"

"Shut up about that old news. I've been set up with an angel."

"Yeah, the only angel in the area is gonna be mine," Natsu smirked and ran his fingers through his hair. "It was love at first sight. She's beautiful and gonna be all mine."

"Great, you and this imaginary girlfriend of yours can double with me and my perfect match," Sting grinned. This was old and familiar. They'd each run their mouths trying to outdo each other. The more outlandish the claims one of them made, the other strived to outmatch.

"My lady, and she's a lady," Natsu proudly stated, "Has long golden hair. The real thing, unlike the ratty mop you're wearing."

"Screw you, prick." Oh, this was getting real. Sting flipped Natsu off and continued running his mouth. "My date is built like -" He motioned his hands as if he was caressing an hour-glass.

His damned smug grin pissed off Natsu. "My woman has that beat."

That's when Lucy returned from the washroom. Not quite sure how her date had acquired another date - that date being the man she'd thought would be her date. What the hell?

"Natsu?" Lucy gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. What was he doing here?

"This is your date?" Natsu gawked at Sting while pointing at Lucy, and the blond man smirked.

"The one and only," Sting smiled up at Lucy with his sharp teeth, and Lucy nervously smiled back.

Natsu stood up in an instant, snatching his bag up and moved towards his apartment in haste. That asshole! He stole his girl!

"Natsu!" Lucy called out, her hand outstretched towards the retreating man.

"Settle down. You don't need him anyway. I'm way better than he ever was," Sting said, pushing a hand through his hair.

"No, you're not! This whole time you've been on your phone. That is a mark of an uninterested man to me, Sting. Please drive me home. I want to call Natsu and make it up to him," Lucy said, eyeing the tiny dot of pink. There was no way she was about to make it to see him now, and the only chance she had was to call him and confess.

"If that's what you want, fine," Sting sneered, pulling out his wallet and paying the tab with a small tip. Lucy was reminded then of the large tip Natsu had given the waiter at the Italian restaurant that they had gone to. She turned her face away from Sting, sighing.

As he drove her home, Lucy's thoughts were filled with Natsu's shocked comment. What would he say if she told him that it was all a mistake and that she wanted him instead?

The wheels screeched as Lucy reached her apartment, and she thanked Sting for the nice time and got out.

"Wait, Lucy," Sting said, grabbing her arm. She only stared as he rubbed the back of his neck, a soft flush covering his face.

"I'm sorry for being such a jerk earlier, yeah? Jealousy got the best of me. Ya see, a girl dumped me for my best friend Rogue last year, and since then I've been kinda...off. My apologies for being such a fuck up," Sting sighed.

Lucy rubbed his arm softly. She knew what it was like to be traded in for someone better, and she didn't want to go through this hurt again.

"Thank you for apologizing, Sting. I'm sure we can be friends. But now, I've gotta find my own Prince Charming," Lucy smiled. Sting smiled back and closed the door, waving as he took off.

Lucy meandered through the parking lot to get to her apartment and unlocked the door, throwing herself on the couch closest to it. She couldn't calm her erratically beating heart, the sound echoing so loud that it seemed to reverberate through the empty apartment. She needed to tell Natsu. Every beat of her heart seemed to say his name; her head filled with nothing but him. This was ridiculous, Lucy thought to herself. If she didn't tell him, her heart was going to explode.

As night fell, and Lucy tried to clear her head of Natsu. A hopeless cause, really. Lucy began to drift off to sleep, and just as the moon filled the sky, Lucy's dreams were filled with Natsu.

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As she woke up the next morning, Lucy's thoughts jaunted to Natsu in the most inopportune moments. When she was showering she thought of his forearms as she washed her own, and with a blush, she quelled the thought immediately. She almost dropped an egg when she was making breakfast, the memory of Natsu doing the same for her a little while back was distracting to say the least. When she was typing a message to a friend on her phone her thoughts wandered to his fingers as he swiped left and right as he fixed her phone and rid it of the spam.

Her heart began to thump in her chest like a caged animal waiting for the right moment to escape. The inhibitions of her mind were lowered as she picked up the phone, calling just to talk to him. She just wanted to hear his voice and know that he wasn't angry and explain the situation with Sting.

Sure, Sting was attractive, there was no denying that. He was sweet when he wanted to be and she liked that. He looked good in a suit, and he was gentlemanly the whole night to her except for the time that he had snapped. But he had even apologized and been kind about it. The only problem was Natsu himself.

It was like she couldn't let go of him. The time she spent with him, although only about a week when she thought about it, seemed far apart and lightyears away from the life she one had. Her life was a blur of gray before she met him. And now?

It was in full color.

Lucy felt slightly inebriated, drunk on her feelings and him. She punched in his number in a tizzy, giggling as the dial tone droned.

She was expecting to hear his voice. And she did...in his voicemail.

"Yo! This is Natsu Dragneel. Leave a message and I'll give you a call back later. See ya!"

His voicemail was as full of energy as he himself was, and it was to be expected of the person that drank four shots of espresso every day along with loads of sugar in his caramel ultra hot drink.

Lucy hung up the phone and immediately dialed again, but her heart sank deep in her chest when she heard the same voicemail. Again and again, her hopes were dashed. She sighed and fell on her bed once again, giving herself time to think.

Lucy thought about all of her options for a moment, and then her mind rested on one that stood out to her. Rolling over on her bed and pulling out her phone, she brought up Natsu's address he had sent in a text once.

'I can't just go over to his apartment!' Lucy thought with a shock. She couldn't just show up unannounced. What if he had friends over and he wanted her to meet them? That would be very embarrassing even though they weren't even dating.

'Well, what is there to lose?' her thoughts persisted, and Lucy decided to go for it. She was hoping to tell him her feelings sooner rather than later, and what was the harm telling him now?

Lucy grabbed her boots and pulled them on, bouncing around the room. Finally she would be able to tell Natsu what she felt for him for real, and maybe then their relationship would start! She grabbed her keys quickly, running out the door. She practically jumped into her car and started the ignition, pulling out of her parking space and bringing up the GPS on her phone.

As she drove, the dread filled her heart and bones and sunk in like a stench that wouldn't ever go away. What if he didn't want to see her? What if he turned her away? Lucy wondered this all the way to his apartment, and when she parked she placed her head on the steering wheel silently and took a deep breath.

"C'mon, Luce, you can do this," she whispered to herself, "After all, the guy has shown interest in you before. So all you've gotta do is go in there and show him what you're made of!"

After the pep talk, Lucy marched up to Natsu's door and rapped on it heartily. She waited for about a minute, and then rapped on it again.

Once again, she was patiently expecting to see Natsu's smiling face as he opened the door. The last surprise hadn't been an entirely unpleasant one, but she was more excited than ever to talk to him.

"May I help-oh! Hi Lucy!" said a familiar voice, and Lucy gasped in shock when she realized who it was.

Lisanna.

Clad in a hoodie that dwarfed her size, the woman rubbed her eyes sleepily. Her white hair was matted to her head and half of it was flipped up on one side. The hoodie was rumpled and it covered her entire form.

Amazed beyond belief, Lucy stared into Lisanna's sleepy eyes with a malicious glare.

"I thought you were in a serious relationship with Mest! Some friend you are," Lucy growled, and she stomped off back to her car and drove off, wheels screeching.

Despite LIsanna's cries to come back, Lucy drove away. Tears blurred her vision as she swerved into her lane.

She was never going to forgive Natsu for what he had done. Not now, not ever.

PAGE BREAK

"I told her to come back, Natsu, but I think he thinks that I'm sleeping with you now," Lisanna said, her voice breaking into a cry.

"Dammit," Natsu cursed, slamming his fist on the table. How could this happen? He had been in the living room watching television when Lisanna had come in crying and told him what occurred. How was he supposed to tell Lucy how he felt now?

"If she only had known that our home had been foreclosed on and we had to stay in your extra room..." Mest said, trailing off with a yawn. He and Lisanna hadn't been getting much sleep as they had been theorizing how to get a new house sometime before Mest proposed, and they had taken the small gap in time to take a short nap.

"I'm going to take a shower and then go get some lunch for all of us. But Natsu," Lisanna said, peeking her head around the corner, "You better not mess this up. This girl is going to be the best thing that has ever happened to you."


End file.
